An Act of Christmas Kindness
by Serenity Angel14
Summary: A Serena/Darien Christmas short. How a single act of kindness can change your life for the better. Merry Christmas!


**Hi Everyone! **

**No I haven't fallen off the face of the planet, just hard-up to find time to Edit. ****I'm still writing, ****which takes about a third of the time ****than editing my **

**work does.**

**Here's a Christmas Short as my Christmas Present to you all. I've never written a short before, so I hope you like it!**

**I am hoping to get at least one chapter uploaded to one of my Fics before Christmas, so keep an ****eye out for that.**

**Merry Christmas to all!**

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**An Act of Christmas Kindness**

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Serena drew in a deep breath. She knew that she was going to regret this one way or another. She knew that she was going to be called Meatball Head and probably leave in a huff, but at the same time she couldn't _not_ do this.

Ever since she'd learned just how alone Darien had been for so long, she hadn't been able to think about anything else. She hadn't known that Darien was an orphan and had been alone for most of his childhood and except for one friend, he was still alone.

It didn't change anything between them, Darien was still Darien, her daily tormentor and secret crush, but this one day of the year Serena could be his friend. She wanted so much more, but she'd settle for what she could have of him.

It was just a couple of minutes out of her Christmas Eve. What was the worst that could happen? Darien called her Meatball Head nearly every day. Why should Christmas be any different?

With another deep breath for courage, Serena pulled her coat tighter about her even though the apartment building was reasonably warm and raised her hand, hesitating a single moment more before knocking.

Each moment that passed felt like an eternity, her stomach filled with nervous butterflies and her palms were sweating.

Darien had no idea who would be knocking on his door this late an evening on Christmas Eve. The only one who ever came to his apartment was Andrew, but he was out of town visiting family until the day after Christmas, so he knew it couldn't be his best and only friend.

Darien opened his door and stopped dead, the last person he ever expected to see standing at his door looking nervous and uncomfortable but still the most beautiful young woman he'd ever seen. With impossibly long silky locks of pure gold and eyes as blue and as deep as the ocean under a bright summer sun.

"Meatball Head?" The words slipped automatically from his lips and Darien wanted to kick himself. He didn't know why he teased her so relentlessly every time he was near her, but he could never stop himself.

Serena drew in a long deep breath in effort to keep a hold of her temper, and then held out the wrapped box she held instead of rising to the bait as she normally did.

"Merry Christmas Darien."

Darien made no more to take the box from her, instead he mutely moved his gaze warily back and forth between her and the box as if she were offering him a dangerous snake instead of a Christmas gift.

"What's this?"

Serena fought very hard to keep from rolling her eyes at him. "What does it look like? It's a Christmas present." She extended the box towards him. "Merry Christmas."

But still Darien make no move to relieve her of it. It seemed that somehow the offering of a Christmas gift had fried his brain.

With a heavy sigh Serena gently set the wrapped box on the ground at his feet. Then, standing tall beneath his unblinking gaze, Serena looked up at him, a kind soft smile on her lips.

"Merry Christmas Darien." And with that Serena turned and walked away, heading back to the elevator. She had to get home. It was snowing heavily outside and she wanted to get home before dark. It was nearly twilight now. Her parents were waiting for her and since she was seventeen this would be last Christmas of her childhood, she wanted it to be one to remember.

Darien dumbly watched Serena walk away until she disappeared around the corner of the corridor.

He looked down at the box. He couldn't remember the last time anyone but Andrew had given him a Christmas present.

Why would Serena give him a gift? Would it explode if he tried to open it?

With nothing else to do, Darien picked up the wrapped box. The wrapping paper was red with brown and white reindeer and it had a perfect gold Christmas bow attached to the exact centre of the top.

Curiosity taking hold, Darien opened the gift right there in the doorway, tearing away the paper and opening the thin box within.

Discarding the wrapping and box, Darien was left with soft thick deep blue fabric in his hands. It was a jacket, the same style as his favourite green one – the same one that Serena frequently called ugly – but in a different colour.

A colour that almost exactly matched his eyes.

A small square of paper was pinned to the collar, a note to go with the gift.

_Try this one, it isn't the most hideous green. Merry Christmas for Serena._

A grin slowly spread across his face. That was so Serena, an insult wrapped in with best wishes.

The ding of the elevator reached his ears and before Darien knew what he was doing he was running down the corridor, flying around the corner with a sense of urgency he hadn't known in a long time.

It had been a long time since there had been anything important enough in his life to hurry for.

The elevator doors were just closing as Darien reached it, he had only just enough time to jam his hands into the closing doors, triggering the sensor that prevented the doors from closing.

Surprised, Serena looked up as the elevator doors opened to reveal an intense looking Darien, the jacket she'd brought him held in his other hand.

So Darien hadn't appreciated her gift. He could have at least waited until the next time he saw her to tell her so. "Look, if you don't like it you can return it-."

Without any warning, Darien closed the distance between them, caught hold of her face in his hands, his new jacket felt soft against her skin and he crushed his lips down onto hers, kissing her ardently and muffling her startled cry.

Immediately everything else was forgotten but Darien and his conquering lips that demanded both her submission and her response, which Serena gave willingly.

His taste flooded her mouth, he tasted like coffee and something deliciously forbidden. His clean musky scent filled her nostrils, mixed with the smell of the new jacket that was pressed to the side of her face. Darien's gentle caressing touch was making her skin tingle where he held her face in place for his fervent kisses.

Then, just as abruptly as it had begun, it was over, leaving Serena blinking and breathing heavily, staring at Darien with wide eyes.

Darien swallowed and stepped back away from Serena before he reached the point that he wouldn't be able to stop. He was staring at her, unable to look away from her wide slightly dazed beautiful eyes.

"Merry Christmas Serena." Darien bid her with a nod of his head and then he stepped back out of the way of the elevator doors, finally allowing the protesting doors to close.

But the doors didn't remain closed. Before the stainless-steel doors could close that last centimetre, they reopened to reveal Serena standing in the middle of the elevator with her right hand still on the door open button on the panel to her right.

Serena felt like she was standing on the edge of a cliff and she was about to jump off.

"Would you like to get a hot cocoa?" Serena asked before she lost her nerve, feeling more nervous about his impending answer than she had coming here. "The café across the street makes a great one and it's open."

Darien was silent for a long moment, but then he smiled at her. A real genuine smile that light up his entire face. "Yeah, I would."

Serena couldn't help but beam at him, smiling like all her Christmases had come at once.

"Only one rule."

Darien nearly laughed. That was Serena, never doing anything easy. "Let me guess, no name calling."

Serena chuckled softly and nodded her head once. "That's right."

In that moment Darien would have agreed to any terms she'd wanted to lay down in order to spend more time with her. "I can do that. Let me get my coat."

Serena lowered her head just a fraction so that she was looking at him through her thick lashes. "We'd better be careful; we don't know what will happen if we aren't tormenting each other."

Darien turned to return to his apartment to get his coat and lock his front door that was still standing open. He pauses to look at her over his shoulder, a glint in his eyes. "Yes, we do."

An hour later the two of them were still laughing and talking in the café window, two long empty white mugs on the table between them, between with Serena's arm rest on the table, her hand clasped gently in Darien's own.

Even years later, Serena would insist that she got the best gift of all that Christmas. Her first Christmas eve with the man who would be her husband.

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**Hope Everyone has a safe and merry Christmas!**


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